Alex loses out on international football tournament
JOBURG - Alexandra has missed an opportunity to be represented in scintillating U17 international football tournament when one of the township schools crashed out in the group stages.
Alexandra missed out on an opportunity to be represented in the scintillating U17 international football tournament when one of the township’s schools crashed out in the group stages.
Alexandra High School’s football team was knocked out in the group stages of the competition, which is known as the Gauteng Future Champions Schools Cup.
After the schools cup, the Alex High School team, which is among the top 20 soccer schools in Gauteng, would have progressed to the Gauteng Future Champions Cup which pits high school teams against some of the leading clubs and development academies in Gauteng.
From this stage of the competition, the school team would have gone on to face some of Africa’s and the world’s best football clubs in the Future Champions Gauteng International Cup, from 14 to 19 March at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto.
The team was knocked out in the group stages of the schools cup after gaining the least number of points in their group. The group featured the likes of school football powerhouses Clapham High School, Bophelo Impilo High School and Thandukwazi High School.
Alex High School and Thandukwazi finished third and fourth respectively and did not qualify for the next stages of the competition. The team only won one match, against Thandukwazi, while Thandukwazi lost all three of its matches.
The international leg of the tournament will feature U17 development squads of local teams such as Bidvest Wits, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Mamelodi Sundowns, with Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates making a mini Soweto derby of the tournament by virtue of being drawn in the same group.
The international teams include the likes of Clube Ferroviario Maputo from Mozabique, which forms the only African club from outside South Africa, and will be complemented by Clube Atletico Mineiro from Brazil, Club Tijuana from Mexico, Club Brugge from Belgium, Shadong Luneng from China, Atletico Madrid from Spain and Torino FC from Italy.
- Group A will comprise Clube Atletico Mineiro, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
- Group B will comprise Club Tijuana, Club Brugge and Mamelodi Sundowns.
- Group C is made up of Shadong Luneng, Atletico Madrid and Black Aces.
- And finally, group D comprises Torino FC, Clube Ferroviario Maputo and Bidvest Wits.
